


Partners

by allourheroes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Some Spoilers, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1424740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allourheroes/pseuds/allourheroes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam Wilson assesses a threat and finds a friend--or <i>something</i>--in one James "Bucky" Barnes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> I ship what I want. But maybe other people ship it, too…? ~~I mean, Sam/ _anyone_ , right?~~
> 
> Post- _Winter Soldier_.
> 
> Edit: Now with sequels! (See end notes.)

Steve and Sam--or, rather, Captain America and Falcon--do in fact find Bucky. He's no longer the Winter Soldier, just a confused man running from his past, trying to _understand_ his past, which they can all relate to. Stark may not trust Steve implicitly, but he respects him, and when Steve asks him about finding a safe place for Bucky--just for a little while--Sam is surprised by how amenable Stark is to doing so.

It takes a while of Steve and Bucky finding their footing around each other again before anyone else really trusts him around people. Natasha has an odd fascination, but she seems content to keep her distance. She's still finding herself in a world of spilled secrets, but she comes by the tower, spends some time with Clint Barton.

The first time Sam is formally introduced to Bucky, Bucky's grip on himself is still rather tenuous.

Sam eyes him with suspicion, as he should. Just because Cap is willing to forgive and forget--brainwashing, blah, blah, blah--does not by any means make the Winter Soldier any less of a threat in Sam's eyes. The kind of thing you stop, he'd told Steve, and he'll give him a chance, for Captain America, but he hasn't actually changed his stance on the man. That metal arm and the anxiousness in Bucky's eyes are setting off the kinds of flares in Sam's mind that make him itch with the effort it takes to stay civil.

Sam trusts Cap, but he isn't certain Cap can be trusted, judgement-wise, when it comes to Bucky.

Sam knows Bucky is too "fragile" for him to say these things to his face, no matter how much he'd like to, so his doubt manifests itself in sarcastic comments that make Steve throw him disappointed looks. The thing is, Bucky doesn't seem mad about it. Bucky will give him these wry kind of half-smiles when Steve isn't looking and, well, maybe Sam starts doing it a bit more.

He doesn't trust Bucky, but he does enjoy having someone else around who can appreciate his sarcasm. Self-deprecating as Bucky can be right now, he thinks that it's not actually hurting him.

Cap pulls him aside one day, which Sam was expecting, but when Steve asks him to stop, asks him why he keeps doing it, Sam isn't certain why he can't tell Steve the answer. In fact, he becomes less certain of what that answer even is. Instead, he just sticks out his lower lip, gives a little shrug, and lets Steve come to his own conclusions about what that means.

"Look," Steve says with a sigh, "I know that he's...changed, but I trust him. He saved my life."

Steve's been saying that a lot, and Sam can't help the chuckle that escapes him. "Got it," is all he says. It's not really an answer, doesn't mean anything, but he guesses Steve feels awkward enough because the man just tenses his jaw and nods.

Sam throws him a bone, "Eh, don't worry, he's growing on me." He scrunches up his face as he says it, but Steve smiles, so he does, too.

There's a knot in his chest that tightens. Sam doesn't know what it means.

Sam flies down from the top of Avengers Tower--special permissions and all that--and swoops back, gliding through the air like he was made to. It's nice, with no one shooting at you. He isn't sure whether it's higher or lower risk here so close to the Avengers, but either way, he figures it's safe enough.

He lets his thoughts wander, comfortable as he is now with his metal wings. He thinks about lots of things. He thinks about Riley. He thinks about Steve, about Bucky. Steve got his partner back from the dead--even if the man hadn't _technically_ died. Sam wasn't a superhero, he was a soldier with a nice pair of wings. Codename: Falcon. It wasn't the kind of superhuman position that allows for partners coming back. It doesn't hurt so badly now to think of Riley, but it's best not to linger.

He wonders how Bucky feels, having come back and remembered himself, sitting around watching Steve head out with his new team sometimes. Sam got to be Steve's partner there, during their search. Nowadays, Steve tends to fly with someone else.

Steve complained about Stark Junior a couple of times over their journey, what with Stark tech everywhere. Since he's gotten back, since _Tony_ has been obstinate as usual but understanding in his way, Steve hasn't had as much trouble with him. The two fight, Sam has seen them, but it's rarely serious enough to have anyone worried they'll tear the place apart.

Iron Man is often hitting the scene with Captain America at his side and Sam wonders how Bucky feels about that, especially since he'd known Howard Stark. From what Natasha let purposely slip, he may have killed the man--not that Sam is looking to dwell on that. Tony isn't Howard though. It's just... The first time Bucky's fully awake and his partner is off with someone else. Bucky isn't allowed in the field.

Sam touches down on a landing pad made for a metal suit, but it's as good enough a place as any. Maybe his logic is flawed, but he thinks maybe he should spend more time with Bucky. Someone ought to, after all, and Cap had a duty to perform.

He takes a shower, having flapped around for the better part of an hour, but as he dresses in the guest bedroom that's been designated his own for all intents and purposes, his mind has him hesitating. Even if Bucky wants company, is it his place to provide it? He shrugs the thought off. He helped find the guy, he's more qualified than most. He just usually goes with Steve, it feels safer.

With that in mind, Sam still heads to Bucky's temporary apartment.

He knocks on the door and there's a slow, suspicious shuffle before he hears someone on the other side of the door. He stares at the camera Stark had installed. Most wouldn't notice it.

Bucky would've known it was him as soon as he stepped into the building, however.

"What?" Bucky asks, cracking open the door. "Steve alright?"

Yeah, maybe he should visit alone more often if Bucky's first thought upon seeing him is that Steve must be in trouble. Sam nods, "I'm here to bust you out, man." He grins at Bucky's confusion. "Put on a jacket," he says, gesturing to Bucky's left arm, "Let's go get some coffee."

Bucky looks like he wants to argue, but he doesn't. He grabs a jacket from an honest-to-god coat rack and puts it on. With SHIELD dismantled, any organization with knowledge of his existence is probably too small to do much, Sam hopes, and he would like to think they can defend themselves.

Going out for coffee in New York has enough anonymity for two people who aren't big name heroes. Funny enough, there's a paper sitting on the table they decide on, coffees in hand, and it's got a picture of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark doing the same thing--just having coffee and bagels and although Stark has the bagel shoved halfway into his mouth, Steve looks happy.

Sam looks up from the picture to see Bucky quirking a smile at it, too. "He's crazy about him," Bucky says and Sam nearly spits his coffee back into the cup. "I've known him since we were kids, you know, and he thinks he can keep that a secret?" Bucky chuckles.

"And you're cool with that?" Sam asks, recovering nicely with a long sip of coffee.

"It's nice to see him happy," Bucky says. "And if Stark breaks his heart, I may have to break my vow of non-violence."

Sam sees the gleam in Bucky's eye and laughs. They sit in silence for a while, but it's comfortable. "You doing better?" Sam asks finally.

Bucky shrugs, "I guess." There's a tension in the air now and Sam kind of regrets asking, but he figures he might as well go for it.

"No unexplainable urges to kill me or anyone else?"

"Well, with you it's not so unexplainable," Bucky returns slowly.

Sam grins, but it softens. "Uh--Bucky--" He's never called him that before, not to his face, and wonders if he's crossed a line, but Bucky just looks at him. "Look, I'm sure Steve has said this a million times, but...it's not your fault. I-- I don't blame you or anything."

"Geez, now I really do want to kill you."

"Nah," Sam says, confident in his newfound sense of who this man is. "You like me."

Bucky opens his mouth and Sam is smiling faintly, prepared for more sarcasm, but it doesn't come. "Yeah," Bucky admits, "I guess I do."

Sam's heart beats a little bit faster and smiles a little bit wider. "'Course you do."

Bucky glares at him half-heartedly. "Don't let it go to your head."

He puts his human hand on the table, almost reaches for Sam's, but he curls his fingers in, reaches for his coffee instead.

Something clicks in Sam's head.

They were both looking for partners, whether they were conscious of it or not. Maybe this...this could help them, both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel:  
> [Goodnight](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1478854) by OrianPrime92 (So cute, but _ow_.)  
>  And I, in turn, wrote a sequel to that sequel:  
> [A Safer Place to Land](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1487767)  
> And another: [Scared of the Dark](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4521918)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Goodnight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1478854) by [DarthLivion (DistantShenanigans)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantShenanigans/pseuds/DarthLivion)




End file.
